Colum McCann

Join us for evening with Colum McCann in conversation with Kelly Candaele. Presented with Irish Culture Bay Area’s Irish Arts & Writers Festival. Pre-signed books will be available for purchase on-site by Book Passage.

Announcing special guest Colm O’Riain!

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Dublin-born Colum McCann is an international award-winning author of eight novels, including Transatlantic (2013) and the National Book Award-winning Let the Great World Spin (2009). His new book, American Mother, tells the story of Diane Foley, whose son, James Foley, was captured and killed by ISIS while serving as a freelance combat reporter in Syria.

“American Mother is a book that will shake your soul out. A thriller, a memoir, a mystery, a portrait of forgiveness, and a literary song of grace, Colum McCann and Diane Foley have filled the empty chair for us all. One of the most extraordinarily well-braided stories that I have read in years.” – Sting

McCann’s eighth novel, Apeirogon (2020) shares the story of two men—one Israeli, and one Palestinian—whose daughters died in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. McCann shares their story in what he describes as a “novel that has not the two-state solution, but the two-story solution.”

Kelly Candaele is a filmmaker and writer who has written extensively for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, The Nation, and other national publications.

Special Guest:

Hailed as a “genius fiddler” by Mike Scott of The Waterboys, Irish-born violinist and composer Colm O’Riain is an accomplished and fiery improviser in multiple genres. In the USA, which he currently calls home, he has enthralled audiences on stages as diverse as CBGB’s in New York to Fillmore West and Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco.  He has performed at festivals and venues throughout the world from Alaska to Argentina, Sweden to Vietnam.